Nicholas Collon & Aurora Orchestra: The Rite of Spring

The British Aurora Orchestra is an ambitious project by Nicholas Collon, Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, combining world-class classical music with visually-impressive stage antics. Founded in 2005, it is the first orchestra in the world to perform an entire symphony from memory.

On Tuesday, 29 August, Aurora Orchestra performs an interpretation of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring at Helsinki Music Centre. Having premiered in 1913, The Rite of Spring has inspired dozens of multi-artistic productions over a century. The work tears open Western music conventions and still sounds timelessly radical.

Aurora Ochestra’s interpretation incorporates the music and musicians into the stage act in a unique manner. Jane Mitchell and James Bonas’ visually-impressive direction combines the orchestra playing from memory with video designer Anouar Brissel‘s projections, lighting and motion in a way that adds an entirely new perspective to Stravinsky’s masterpiece.

The first half will feature a comprehensive and exciting introduction to the work, a kind of “living playbill”, which has become a trademark of the Orchestra and Nicholas Collon.